6 rounds for each team (6 week-ends) 3 rounds home and 3 rounds away 2 matches each week-end (Friday and/or Saturday and/or Sunday) against the same opponent. 12 matches for each team Total of 96 matches for the Intercontinental Round.

The ranking of the teams per pool will be determined according to the results of all matches won and lost.

The following teams will qualify for the Final Round: - the winner of each of the 4 pools - the 2nd placed team of
each of the 4 pools.

If Poland (organiser of the finals), automatically qualified as host nation, is not among these 8 teams, they will replace the lowest 2nd placed team of the Intercontinental Round.

Final roundJune 25 to 30 in Katowice, Poland

The team of the organising country of the Final Round is automatically qualified. If Poland (organiser of the finals), automatically qualified as host nation, is not among these 8 teams, they will replace the lowest 2nd placed team of the Intercontinental Round.

- The 8 teams will be divided into 2 groups of 4 teams following the serpentine system.
- After a 3-day Round Robin tournament the teams finishing third and fourth in the tournament will be eliminated.
- Teams finishing in first and second places in the Round Robin tournament will play cross semi-finals.
- The winners play for first and second places and the losers for third and fourth places.

Prize moneyThe total Prize Money for the WL 2001 is US$ 15 millions
(10 in 2000)

Per diem, per match and player (in US$)

Winner

400/player

max/ team

4,800

Loser

150/player

max./team

1,800

Maximum Prize money per match

6,600

x96

= 633,600

Following the pool ranking (A,B,C)

1st place

780,000

2nd place

770,000

3rd place

765,000

4th place

760,000

= 3,075,000

x4

= 12,300,000

Final round

Prize Money following the final ranking

1st place

500,000

2nd place

300,000

3rd place

200,000

4th place

120,000

5th-6th place

60,000

7th-8th place

40,000

= 1,220,000

Individual awards

Best scorer

7,300

Best spiker

4,500

Best blocker

4,500

4th place

4,500

Best server

60,000

= 20,800

Specific Rules

Points awarded per match to each team

match won:match lost:match forfeited:

2 points1 point0 point

In the case of a tie(Rankings of Preliminary and Final)Set quotient: in the case of equality in the number of points gained by two or several teams, the teams will be classified by the quotient resulting from: number of total sets won / number of total sets lost.

Points quotient: if a tie persists as per the set quotient, the teams will be classified by the quotient resulting from: total points scored / total points lost (during all sets).

Time-out systemIn sets 1-4: All time-outs are for 60 seconds.
- Each team may request up to 2 time-outs per set.
- 2 additional "technical time-outs" are applied automatically when the leading team reaches the 8th and 16th points.

In the deciding (5th) set: All time-outs are for 30 seconds
- There are no "technical time-outs".
- 2 regular time-outs of 30 seconds duration may be requested by each team.

Intervals between setsAll intervals between sets last three minutes.The interval between the second and the third sets can be extended up to 10 minutes by the FIVB supervisor at the request of the organisers and the TV.

Service (rule 11.2 Ball touching the net)While crossing the net during the service, the ball may touch it. This rule was tested at the 1999 World Cup in Japan and will be tested again during the 2000 World League.